Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-12-29

WE'LL GET THE ROAD,
An Excellent Start Made at
Friday Nights Meeting.
THE SUM OF $4,000 SUBSCRIBE
ED IN A FEW MINUTES.
For 100000 we Get Another
Trunk Line of Railroad-The
Proposition Accepted.

crowd, composed almost entirely
of representative citizens of Mex
leo, gathered at the Court House.
Many were enthusiastic railroad
boomers, but all wanted another line
The meeting increased in size and
ut 7:15 VIM. Pollock called the
meeting to order and upon his mo-
ton Governor Hardin was elected
chairman and S. B. Cook, secreta-
ry. r. C. Nickerson, president;
Jos. Lathrop and L. F. House, di-
rectors of the proposed Chicago,
Hannibal and Springfield railroad
were present, with Judge Long, OF
the Michigan Supreme Court, Benz
U. Massey, prominent Springfield
lawyer, and VIM. B. McCreery, of
Flint, Michigan. Mr.. Lathrop was
introduced by Governor Hardin.
He told of helorigin of the scheme
to build this railroad, and how the
matter was brought to his attention
some time since. Capitalists We're
interested in the plan and the result
was E. F. House, Judge Long and
the speaker went to Springfield.
From that point they came north
ward IN carriage, driving through
to Hannibal This was done at the
instigation of Chicago capitalists to
see if a railroad through the coun-
try between Springfield and Han
nibal was desirable. After this
tour the attention of more represen-
tative men was called to the enter
prise and after a few days a COM
pany was organized and incorpo-
rated. On this, their second trip
through the same section, they are
warmly welcomed, guaranteed the
right of way and liberal money
assistance. Mr.. Lathrop said it
would be more expensive to bring
the new railroad to this city than
by going another route they might
select. He told how, when the
wealth of the county was not to be
compared with that of to-day,
thousands of dollars were given the
Wabash and Chicago and Alton
lines. He spoke of the advan-
tage of cheap fuel to this city and
how immense coal fields on the
south would be laid at our door by
the construction of the proposed
line. No money is to be asked
until the road is completed to the
Missouri river, and all subscrip-
tions are to be paid in notes, not pay
able until the terms are fully COM
piled with.
The proposition of the company
to the citizens of Mexico is to bring
the road here for 500, 1000 and the
right of way through the county,
the money to be payable in these
notes, which are void if the line is
not constructed within 80 months
from their date.
Benjamin U. Massey, leading
Springfield attorney, was next in
troduced. In the first place, Mr..
Massey announced that he was not
a stakeholder in the new line nor
W > he in any way connected with
the enterprise. He was interested
only as citizen of Springfield
desirous of seeing the road con-
structed. There was no north and
south line of railroad i'll Missouri
and the people of his city were
anxious to secure one. He spoke
of the efforts of the Springfield
delegation at the Jefferson City
railroad meeting in June, of num-
erous surveys made at private ex-
pense in an endeavor to secure an
outlet to Chicago and the North.
Springfield had $500 inhabitants in
1873. With the building of the
Frisco road it doubled in popula-
ton; the Gulf system was then built
and as result, the thriving metro
polls of South Missouri has a popu-
lation of %, 600, This is what rail-
roads did for Springfield. The
citizens of that town are now will
ling to give s2O0,0 900 to this new
line from the North. The speaker
thinks the proposed road, passing,
as it will, through the heart of the
rich Mississippi valley, to be very
promising enterprise. He also said
that no city in the Mississippi
valley would have better railroad
facilities than Mexico with the new
line from the north. He had sat
isfied himself as to the high
financial standing of the gentle
men concerned in the new enter.
prise, and felt safe in saying that
they would stand by any PROPOSE
ton they would make. In his
opinion, the route touching Mexico
would be more expensive to trav-
erse than the one north of here,
going through Centralia, but owing
to the promise of this city, being a
county seat and good business
point, the company preferred COM
ing here. Mayor Hisey was called
upon, but did not respond. Gov
ernor Hardin's name was the next
called and as he stood up he was
greeted with round of applause.
He said:
Gentleman, l favor accepting
this proposition and going to work
at once. We have two competing
limos tn ST ,oy.is and N Kanrasc;+